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#1
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in
: So if your garden is reasonably large, and you don't have the time (or the gardener) to maintain large borders, and you don't have the desire (or the money) for large scale 'hard landscaping' then you may well end up with a garden which is mostly lawn, and which can produce mowings faster than the borders can consume them. You could choose to have more shrubbery and less lawn. Shrubs need less care than lawns, I find, and shrubs can absorb a lot of cuttings. From time to time you do need to cut the shrubs back, but not as often as lawnmowing, shredding is more fun than mowing, and if you layer the grass cuttings with shreddings they don't go green slime on you. Victoria |
#2
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
"Victoria Clare" wrote in message . 240.12... "David W.E. Roberts" wrote in : So if your garden is reasonably large, and you don't have the time (or the gardener) to maintain large borders, and you don't have the desire (or the money) for large scale 'hard landscaping' then you may well end up with a garden which is mostly lawn, and which can produce mowings faster than the borders can consume them. You could choose to have more shrubbery and less lawn. Shrubs need less care than lawns, I find, and shrubs can absorb a lot of cuttings. From time to time you do need to cut the shrubs back, but not as often as lawnmowing, shredding is more fun than mowing, and if you layer the grass cuttings with shreddings they don't go green slime on you. Victoria A logical solution :-) However I like my large lawn. I guess the OP and myself are seeking a solution which does not involve reducing the size of the lawn just to make it easier to dispose of the clippings. Cheers Dave R P.S. to take this to the logical conclusion; "just keep reducing the size of the lawn until the problem goes away" is a solution but not perhaps the one we are seeking |
#3
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 10:29:04 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts" said:
[snip] ] So if your garden is reasonably large, and you don't have the time (or the ] gardener) to maintain large borders, and you don't have the desire (or the ] money) for large scale 'hard landscaping' then you may well end up with a ] garden which is mostly lawn, and which can produce mowings faster than the ] borders can consume them. [] Such is certainly my case. I always have more clippings than I know what to do with. Currently driving them to the bottom of a field to fill in a hollow area (was long ago a communal path) which adds time to the mow, as well. -E -- Emery Davis You can reply to by removing the well known companies |
#4
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
In article , David W.E.
Roberts writes P.S. to take this to the logical conclusion; "just keep reducing the size of the lawn until the problem goes away" is a solution but not perhaps the one we are seeking Works well for me! -- Kay - whose lawns are now ponds, gravel paths, and wild flower meadows |
#5
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
The message
from "David W.E. Roberts" contains these words: "You can never have too much/many grass clippings." Mr Picky says 'yes you can have too much/many'. With all due respect There seems to be an assumption in some quarters that all contributors to this NG have massive borders for growing stuff in, which are always crying out for extra mulch, manure, feeding etc. which cannot be supplied from the huge compost heaps constantly digesting plant material. Witness the comments about bringing in neighbours grass clippings. [BTW shouldn't these neighbours be composting their grass cuttings and mulching their own borders?] They employ a mowing contractor because they are either very old and frail, absent second-home owners, or frantically busy with tourist guests almost 24 hours a day during the lawnmowing season. I've lost one of my grass-contributors this year. He's so amazed at what his cuttings did to my garden, he's decided to do the same in his own. He has no difficulty at all using up all his cuttings. Not all gardens have a large border+compost heap to lawn ratio. Perhaps you should merely state "In my particular garden, I can't get enough grass clippings". I think most sensible readers would take that as read, but YMMV. /With all due respect With respect, you have no idea of the ratio of lawn to bed/compost heap in my garden, and have made a wrong assumption. ATM I've got more lawn than beds, same as you. For low maintenance it is good to have a large lawn (requires mowing but not much else) and shrub borders which require occasional pruning and not much else. Grandmothers and eggs come to mind. One of the huge benefits of permanent mulches, is to create a low maintenance garden at minimal cost. Vegetable mulch smothers many weeds and prevent their seeds germinating; it creates rich soil in which plants grow healthy and strong so they don't need chemical feeds and sprays, and it conserves moisture so watering isn't necessary. In the past I have converted borders to lawn because I didn't have the time to weed them and the garden looked a mess. Now I have more time, but I have not reached the stage of ripping up the lawn to enlarge the beds. There's no need for all that hard labour, "ripping up lawn" to make beds. I made many of mine by laying mulch on top of lawn, a highly effective low-input, low maintenance way. I only do it your way when I've run out of mulch material. Grass as a mulch takes a long time to break down Not in my experience.The speed of its breakdown is the reason I can never get enough. Together with the other mulches I use it creates intense worm activity. As the worms start working, blackbirds and thrushes move in to hunt them, and constantly stir the mulch around which helps it break down into a dark friable humus. The three-inch surface mulch of grass cuttings I applied yesterday will be brown in a week and within a month will be unrecognisable as grass. So in two to three weeks I have covered all available space in the borders, and if I keep adding more layers it gets unsightly and does not break down well - going to 'green slime' mode. Never had "green slime" mode, even though I live in a high-rainfall area. As stated elsewhere one mowing can fill a brown wheelie bin, which is emptied once every two weeks, so in the spring and early summer the mowings are being produced faster than the council can take them away. I have just installed my trial 'builders bag' compost heap in one corner where it will be mainly concealed by shrubs (a white bag is not a pretty feature) and this is already 1/3 to 1/2 full. It is not going to swallow all my clippings plus other material and compost it all down faster than I can produce new clippings. I expect it to be full within 6-8 weeks. We shall see :-) I think you'll find that the heat generated by that volume of grass will shrink it fast, but additions will tend to press down and make it very dense; anaerobic decomposition doesn't make good compost. Mixing crumpled cardboard cartons in with the grass will keep enough air in it; if you have any wood ash to scatter, that's a good additive. If the bag has a bottom in it, that will slow composting considerably. So if your garden is reasonably large, and you don't have the time (or the gardener) to maintain large borders, and you don't have the desire (or the money) for large scale 'hard landscaping' then you may well end up with a garden which is mostly lawn, and which can produce mowings faster than the borders can consume them. Disposing of them in a constructive manner (not just in bin bags to create methane in a landfill) is a serious problem. Quite; so let's hope more people will try mulching with grass cuttings for themselves. Janet |
#6
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message ... The message m from "kenty ;-\)" contains these words: I have quite a large lawn,too much clippings to keep composting! Would like to know what others do with there clippings. I've just come in from collecting the clippings from two neighbours' gardens, who have their grass cut by a contractor. 8 high barrow-loads. You can never have too much/many grass clippings. Today's haul went straight on the beds as mulch, on top of earlier spring mulch layers of seaweed and strawy manure. These beds were made last year by laying cardboard on the lawn, and covering with clippings etc; they are rich soft soil now, full of earthworms. My own lawn's clippings from a cut on Sunday, were very mossy so I put them in the compost heap along with a load of weeds and some seaweed. Janet, "You can never have too much/many grass clippings." Mr Picky says 'yes you can have too much/many'. With all due respect There seems to be an assumption in some quarters that all contributors to this NG have massive borders for growing stuff in, which are always crying out for extra mulch, manure, feeding etc. which cannot be supplied from the huge compost heaps constantly digesting plant material. Witness the comments about bringing in neighbours grass clippings. [BTW shouldn't these neighbours be composting their grass cuttings and mulching their own borders?] Not all gardens have a large border+compost heap to lawn ratio. Perhaps you should merely state "In my particular garden, I can't get enough grass clippings". /With all due respect For low maintenance it is good to have a large lawn (requires mowing but not much else) and shrub borders which require occasional pruning and not much else. In the past I have converted borders to lawn because I didn't have the time to weed them and the garden looked a mess. Now I have more time, but I have not reached the stage of ripping up the lawn to enlarge the beds. [Although the fruit trees could be in for a limited treat this year.] At the moment I am mainly growing fruit and vegetables in containers on our very large very low maintenance patio area. Grass as a mulch takes a long time to break down - a mowing will normally last most of a year. One mowing of my lawn will cover one of the two borders where I can hide the mowings under the shrubbery. So in two to three weeks I have covered all available space in the borders, and if I keep adding more layers it gets unsightly and does not break down well - going to 'green slime' mode. As stated elsewhere one mowing can fill a brown wheelie bin, which is emptied once every two weeks, so in the spring and early summer the mowings are being produced faster than the council can take them away. I have just installed my trial 'builders bag' compost heap in one corner where it will be mainly concealed by shrubs (a white bag is not a pretty feature) and this is already 1/3 to 1/2 full. It is not going to swallow all my clippings plus other material and compost it all down faster than I can produce new clippings. I expect it to be full within 6-8 weeks. We shall see :-) So if your garden is reasonably large, and you don't have the time (or the gardener) to maintain large borders, and you don't have the desire (or the money) for large scale 'hard landscaping' then you may well end up with a garden which is mostly lawn, and which can produce mowings faster than the borders can consume them. Disposing of them in a constructive manner (not just in bin bags to create methane in a landfill) is a serious problem. Small gardens which are all lawn and no borders have even more of a problem, but at least the brown bin can normally keep pace. Cheers Dave R |
#7
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 10:29:04 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote: With all due respect There seems to be an assumption in some quarters that all contributors to this NG have massive borders for growing stuff in, which are always crying out for extra mulch, manure, feeding etc. which cannot be supplied from the huge compost heaps constantly digesting plant material. etc. A few years ago, "mulching mowers" and "mulching blades" for mowers became available/fashionable here (US). The general idea is that the clippings are chopped into such teeny pieces that they can be left in/on the grass to quickly decay and nourish the lawn in situ. I can't recall reading much about owner satisfaction with these products, but then I haven't read anything like "a mulching mower destroyed my lawn," either. FWIW. |
#8
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uses for grass cuttings (long)
"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message ...
"Victoria Clare" wrote in message . 240.12... "David W.E. Roberts" wrote in : So if your garden is reasonably large, and you don't have the time (or the gardener) to maintain large borders, and you don't have the desire (or the money) for large scale 'hard landscaping' then you may well end up with a garden which is mostly lawn, and which can produce mowings faster than the borders can consume them. You could choose to have more shrubbery and less lawn. Shrubs need less care than lawns, I find, and shrubs can absorb a lot of cuttings. From time to time you do need to cut the shrubs back, but not as often as lawnmowing, shredding is more fun than mowing, and if you layer the grass cuttings with shreddings they don't go green slime on you. Victoria A logical solution :-) However I like my large lawn. I guess the OP and myself are seeking a solution which does not involve reducing the size of the lawn just to make it easier to dispose of the clippings. Cheers Dave R P.S. to take this to the logical conclusion; "just keep reducing the size of the lawn until the problem goes away" is a solution but not perhaps the one we are seeking So you like your large lawn. I'm not even hinting at trying to dictate to you what you want in your own garden, but when I discuss designs I ask questions like "Have you thought about _why_ you like it?" Is it because it looks nice, or is it because the family use it for clock-golf, boules, football, French cricket, sun-bathing, and generally messing about? If it's because it looks nice, (and that could include displaying some large specimen trees, or statues, or the house itself to the best advantage) that's just as good a reason as any other for keeping it; but if keeping it commits you to a price you don't like paying (such as getting rid of the mowings), why not at least consider the alternatives? Maybe it's just too big for the purposes you use it for; maybe the family have grown up, or maybe you don't practise your putting or fly-casting any more. So what would you get in return for reducing the size? A pond, a spectacular fountain, or some winding walks through flowering shrubs and bulbs? A beautiful summer-house? A bird sanctuary? A fascinating knot-garden or maze? A traditional potager? A beautiful walled suntrap with weathered stone paving, peach and fig trees, and a standard wistaria on an umbrella support in the middle? A minimal oriental meditation garden? Heck, a small vineyard, or orchard? Would you enjoy any of those as much as a big lawn? Maybe you'd enjoy one or more of them _more_. This is just wondering, of course. But if the mowings are feeling like a problem, maybe it's time to consider getting rid of the problem at source instead of at the big end. Your garden should be fun, not a burden. Mike. |
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